Midnight
by CrazyViolinist
Summary: Something is out there. It is trying to get inside… to get something… or someone. It is up to The Doctor to figure out what it is before it's too late. Welcome to Midnight, please enjoy your stay at the luxury spa and resort. [Fourth story in the series]
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all. I'm back. I'm so sorry it has taken me this long to update the series. Hope you enjoy this new installment.**

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A little rest and relaxation, that's what the three time travelers wanted. Just some place where they could detox from their last thrilling adventure in a place called The Library. Thrilling was really the right word for it though, more like terrifying. So they landed in a beautiful spa and resort on the gorgeous world of Midnight. The only problem with this planet was that the sun produced a deadly ray called Xtonic; it could kill you the exact moment you came in contact with it. So the spa, or leisure place as it was called, was built out of materials that purposely filtered the sun light till it was harmless. The only horrible thing that could happen to you in there was getting a sunburn. Donna loved it; she had found the pool area and plopped down in a lounge chair wearing a plush white robe. That was yesterday; The Doctor and Jenny however were getting antsy, they couldn't sit around for too long. So, the two of them searched the palace from top to bottom and found a tour that took them out of the spa to a waterfall of sapphires. Without a second thought they booked two tickets and tried to Donna to join them. But, she was having none of it; she wanted to stay right where she was and be waited on by handsome men. Jenny and The Doctor were standing outside of the tours massive metal transport vehicle when The Doctor made one last attempt to get Donna to join them. He picked up a near by phone and rang for Donna. "I said, no." came Donna's voice through the phone the second she answered.

"A sapphire waterfall… it's a waterfall made of sapphires. This enormous jewel the size of a glacier reaches the cliffs of oblivion and then shatters into sapphires at the edge. They fall 100,000 feet into a crystal ravine." replied The Doctor excitedly.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." said Donna.

"Oh, come on, they're boarding now. It will be no fun to see it without you. Four hours, that's all it will take" he said.

"No, that's four hour there and four hours back. That's like a school trip. I'd rather go sunbathing." she replied.

"Come on Donna. You can look at all the pretty rocks." said Jenny coming to stand next to her dad who tilted the phone so she could hear too.

"Hmmm… look at rocks and sit in a stuffy compartment or get waited on hand and foot while drinking a cold beverage." said Donna strongly hinting the second choice was the better option.

"Oh, alright. We give up. We'll tell you all about it later." said Jenny.

"You better take some pictures. That's why you got the camera isn't it?" said Donna. Jenny looked down at the camera in her hands that she had purchased at the little shop since that was the first place The Doctor had wanted to go. "Will do, chief." said Jenny giving a small salute to the phone before walking away.

"Have a good trip." said Donna.

"You be careful." warned The Doctor. "That's Xtonic sunlight."

"Oh. I'm safe. It says in the brochure this glass is 15 feet thick." confidently said Donna.

"We'll be back for dinner." said The Doctor, his eyes focusing on Jenny, who was waving him over to board. "We'll try that antigravity restaurant, with bibs."

"That's a date." said Donna before she quickly amended, "Well, not a date. Oh, you know what I mean. Oh, get off."

"See you later." amusedly said The Doctor.

"Oi! And you two be careful, alright?" said Donna.

"Nah, taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight? What could possibly go wrong?" said The Doctor before hanging up and boarding the vehicle with an excitedly bouncing Jenny. Once they were inside the metal vehicle and in their seats, both of them had a chance to take in their surroundings. The transport vehicle was rather comfy. It wasn't too elaborate, but there was enough comfort that a 4 hour trip to the destination and back wouldn't feel so daunting. The seats were paired in twos with 6 rows on each side. Jenny and The Doctor also made note of all the people boarding. To their right and a bit ahead of them sat a lone woman and right behind them were an older man and a college age student. Then a couple of rows back sat a family with the parents on one side and their son on the other. Jenny and The Doctor were pulled from their observations when the stewardess stepped up on the left. "That's the headphones for channels 1 to 36, modem link for 3-D vidgames, complimentary earplugs, complimentary slippers, complimentary juice pack, and complimentary peanuts." she said as she pulled out two of each item had gave them to the pair. "I must warn you, some products may contain nuts." she added.

"Wouldn't that be the peanuts." said Jenny. The stewardess gave her a look of exasperation and Jenny had to wonder how many times she had done this. "Enjoy your trip." said the stewardess with a forced smile.

"Oh, we can't wait. Allons-y!" happily stated The Doctor.

"I'm sorry?" said the stewardess giving a heavy sigh. From the weight of the sigh Jenny could tell that this woman had been on the vehicle one time too many.

"It's French for 'let's go'." explained The Doctor, losing some of his cheeriness.

"Fascinating." she replied almost snidely as she pushed her little cart with all the complimentary items to the two passengers behind them.

"Well, she seems pleasant." said Jenny as she shoved most of the stuff she received under her seat.

"She's done this trip on time too many." commented The Doctor.

"That's what I was thinking." laughed Jenny.

"No will ever doubt you're my daughter." said The Doctor with a big smile of his own as their attention turned to the conversation the passengers behind them were having. "They call it a Sapphire waterfall, but it's no such thing. Sapphire's an aluminum oxide, but the glacier is just a compound silica with iron pigmentation." said the man who looked to be in his late 40's/early 50's. "Have you got that pillow for my neck?" he asked the 20 something woman sitting next to him.

"Yes, sir." she replied.

"And the pills?" he asked.

"Yes, all measured out for you. There you go." she said handing him the said pills. It was at that moment that the older man noticed The Doctor looking back at him. He leaned forward and cheerfully introduced himself. "Hobbes." he said. "Professor Winfold Hobbes."

"I'm The Doctor. Hello." he replied happily as the two of them shook hands.

"It's my 14th time." said Hobbes.

"Oh. My first." The Doctor replied.

"You've been on this 14 times." asked Jenny as she kneeled on her seat facing backwards. "Wouldn't it get boring after awhile. I'm Jenny." she introduced herself at Hobbes curious gaze.

"Pleasure to meet you and no, something like this could never be dull." stated Hobbes.

"Maybe you should tell the stewardess that." mumbled Jenny as the young woman leaned forward and introduced herself. "I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco." she said shaking The Doctor and Jenny's hands.

"Don't bother them. Where's my water bottle?" asked Hobbes almost sounding annoyed that Dee Dee was talking. All was quiet until voices farther back in the vehicle floated to the front. "Don't be silly." said a female's voice. "Come and sit with us. Look, we get slippers."

"Jethro, do what your mother says." said a man's voice.

"I'm sitting here." demanded a young man's voice.

"Oh, he's ashamed of us, but he doesn't mind us paying, does he?" came the older man's voice again.

"Oh, don't you two start." said the woman. "Should I save the juice pack or have it now? Look, it's peach and Clementine."

"Ladies and gentlemen and variation thereupon," the voice of the stewardess filled the vehicle drowning out the other conversations. "Welcome onboard the Crusader 50. If you would fasten your seat belts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors." the doors immediately sealed themselves shut. "Shields down." she said as metal plates slid over the windows. Jenny briefly wondered if this was what prisoners felt like in solitary. "I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the waterfall palace." continued the stewardess. "Also, a reminder… Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it, you first." she said with an amused chuckle. "Now I will hand you over to driver Joe." There was a crackle and a beep before a voice came through an intercom system. "Driver Joe at the wheel. There's been a diamondfall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see from the diagram on the map. The journey covers 500 kliks to the multifaceted coast. Duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for traveling with us, and they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll."

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	2. Chapter 2

The whole vehicle began to shake as the engines fired up, but soon settled when the engines reached the desired capacity. It was at that moment that the stewardess spoke again. "For your entertainment, we have the music channel playing retrovids of earth classics." She clicked a button and small TV screens unfolded from the ceiling over each pair of seats. On the TV was a woman who looked to be wearing clothes from the 1970's or 80's and she was singing, 'Do it, do it again. Do it, do it again with love.' over and over again.

"Also." continued the stewardess. "The latest artistic installation from Ludovic Klein." She pressed another button and the whole compartment was filled with lights and shapes. "Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat… the animation archives." With that she clicked one last button and a screen slid down in front of the cockpit door. On this screen, a number of old cartoons played. "Four hours of fun time. Enjoy." finished the stewardess as she walked to the back of the compartment. Jenny had no idea what she was watching, in fact there parts of the cartoons that were down right disturbing. "What… the heck… are we watching?" she asked her father.

"They're old episodes from a show called Betty Boop made in the 1930's." explained The Doctor.

"Really? Geez, 1930's Earth sure had a creepy sense of humor." she said as some of the furniture in the cartoon began to laugh along with the characters. It took all of 45 seconds before the noise of the lady constantly singing 'Do it, do it again with love', the noise and lights from the artistic installment, and the sounds and disturbing images from the cartoons to become too much. Jenny clutched The Doctor's arm and said through gritted teeth, "Make, it, stop." He happily complied with her request. Out came the sonic screwdriver and while in 5 seconds of the sonic being on all the singing, lights, sounds, and cartoons shut off; much to the relief of every passenger in the shuttle. "Well, that's a mercy." commented Professor Hobbes.

"Thank you." muttered Jenny.

"It was my _absolute_ pleasure." said The Doctor slipping the device back in his jacket. He looked over the single lady sitting on the other side and saw her watching him. She gave him a grateful smile as she had seen him use his screwdriver to turn off the electrics. The Doctor gave a smile and a nod of his head in return as the stewardess bustled up to the front of the vehicle again.

"Uh, I do apologize, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, we seem to have had a failure of the entertainment system." se said, trying to turn things back on but having no luck.

"Oh." said The Doctor feigning surprise and disappointment.

"But what do we do?" asked the woman from the back.

"We've got four hours of this; four hours of just sitting here?" asked the man sitting next to her.

"Tell you what," said The Doctor turning around in his seat so he could see everyone. "We'll have to talk to each other instead." Everyone looked around, unsure of the suggestion. "Well, don't everyone start talking at once." he said when no one spoke.

"Oh come on." said Jenny turning in her seat like her dad. "It's not that hard; I'll start. Hi, my name is Jenny. My dad, The Doctor, and I are traveling looking for adventure but we decided to take a break and relax. See, that wasn't hard at all. Next…" she finished with a big smile, looking around to see who'd talk next. It took a few minutes but soon everyone was exchanging stories and laughing. The couple and the boy in the back of the vehicle were a family. The man's name was Biff, the woman's was Val, and their son was Jethro. Then there was Professor Hobbes and Dee Dee and lastly there was the ever-silent woman, Sky Silvestry, who didn't really engage in any conversation. It only took another few minutes before everyone was telling funny stories about their lives. "So Biff said, 'I'm going swimming.'" laughed Val.

"Oh, I was all ready, trunk and everything, nose plug." said Biff.

"He had this little nose plug. You should have seen him." said Val still laughing.

"And I went marching up to the lifeguard, and he was a Shamboni, you know, those big foreheads." said Biff looking up at The Doctor, who was kneeling backwards on the seat in front of him.

"Great big forehead." said Val turning to look at Hobbes and Dee Dee, who were sitting across the aisle.

"And I said, 'Where's the pool?' and he said, 'The pool is abstract.'" said Biff and everyone burst out laughing.

"It wasn't a real pool." said Val.

"It was a concept." finished Biff.

"And you were wearing a nose plug." asked The Doctor between laughter.

"Oh I was like this." here Biff grabbed his nose before continuing. "Ooh, where's the pool?" Everyone laughed even harder at that illustration. Jenny, who was sitting next to Jethro across from his parent, turned to look at him. "Oh my god, you're dad's hilarious." she said.

"They tell that story to anyone who will listen." he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"But it's still funny." said Jenny trying to get her laughter under control.

"Whatever." huffed Jethro.

"Do you not like your parents?" asked Jenny.

"They're not horrible, but they're parents aren't they." said Jethro. "They are so embarrassing and dorky. Aren't your parents like that?"

"I don't really have a mom. Just a dad." said Jenny pointing to The Doctor who was still laughing with Biff and Val.

"Did she die?" asked Jethro.

"No, I never had a mom. A progenation machine took a sample of my dad's diploid cell and from that DNA I was created. It spit me out fully grown, clothes and everything."

"Oookkk." said Jethro, a little bit unsure of what Jenny had just said. "So, it's just you and your dad, because a machine created you from his cells alone."

Right." said Jenny with a smile.

"That's kind of cool. Like those old horror movies of Frankenstein."

"I guess." said Jenny, herself now a little unsure; she had never seen any of the Frankenstein movies. From then on Jenny and Jethro found it easier to talk. They talked about this and that for an hour until Jenny stated she was thirsty. She went to the back of the vehicle where the drinks were and found her dad and Dee Dee talking. "I'm just a second-year student," said Dee Dee. "But I wrote a paper on the lost moon of Poosh."

"Wait, how can a moon be lost?" asked Jenny.

"That's the interesting bit, no one knows. It just vanished years and years ago." said Dee Dee. "Anyway, Professor Hobbes read my paper, liked it, took me on as a researcher, just for the holidays. Well, I say 'researcher', most of the time he's got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience."

"And did they ever find it?" asked The Doctor.

"Find what?" said Dee Dee.

"The lost moon of Poosh." he replied.

"Oh, no, not yet." laughed Dee Dee.

"Well, maybe that will be your great discovery one day." said The Doctor.

"Here's to Poosh." said Jenny raising her glass as the other two followed her example.

"Poosh." they said and after they all took a sip of their drinks Dee Dee said, "So, you and Jethro were talking for a long time. Anything special?"

"No, mostly it's about horror stuff, Frankenstein and what not." said Jenny.

"Ohh, Frankenstein. I love that book. You know, I once met the author in Geneva, Switzerland. Wonderful woman; loved dark things, but wonderful woman." said The Doctor.

"But, how could you have met the author? The book was first published centuries ago in 1818." said Dee Dee in astonishment.

"Ah yes, well, you know how it is. You're reading a good book, then travel to a place the author once visited and it's like you're meeting the author themselves." quickly said The Doctor, trying to cover his time slip.

"Oh yes, I understand that completely. It has happened to me on more than one occasion." said Dee Dee with a big smile. They continued to talk for another 30 minutes before the stewardess announced that lunch was ready to be served. Everyone took a seat and it was at this time, The Doctor decided to learn a thing or two about their silent traveling company, Sky Silvestry. "So, is it just you and your daughter traveling?" asked Sky.

"No, no, we have this friend, Donna, but she stayed behind in the leisure palace. You?" said The Doctor.

"No, it's just me." said Sky.

"Oh, I've done plenty of that; traveling on my own." he said in understanding. "I love it. Do what you want, go anywhere."

"Well, I'm still getting used to it." she replied as the two of them began to eat their lunches. "I've found myself single rather recently, not by choice." she said.

What happened?" asked The Doctor.

"Oh, the usual. She needed her own space, as they say, a different galaxy in fact. I reckon that's enough space, don't you?" replied Sky.

"Yeah." he said. "I had a friend who went to a different universe."

"There's something interesting about this meat." said Jenny as she suddenly popped her head between her dad and Sky. All of them looked at the meat in question. "It could be chicken or beef." said Sky.

"I think it's both." said The Doctor causing all of them to share a laugh. After lunch had been eaten someone asked Hobbes what his area of expertise was as a professor. Before long he was giving a lecture on his favorite subject, which just happened to be the very planet they were on, Midnight. "So, this is Midnight, do you see?" said Hobbes pointing to a screen behind him that had charts and graphs on it. "Bombarded by the sun; X-tonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Dee Dee, next slide." he called back to Dee Dee who quickly changed the picture on the projector. "It's my pet project." Hobbes continued. "Actually. I'm the first person to research this because, you see… the history is fascinating because there is no history. There's no life in this entire system, there couldn't be. Beofre the leisure palace company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity, no living thing."

"But how do you know, I mean, if no one can go outside?" asked Jethro.

"Oh his imagination. Here we go." said Val.

"But he's got a point, though." said Jenny.

"He's got a very good point." agreed The Doctor.

"Exactly, we look upon this world through glass, safe inside out metal box. Even the leisure palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight but never touching it." said Hobbes. At that exact moment the vehicle came to a stop with a groan and shudder. "We've stopped. Have we stopped?" said Val

"Are we there?" asked Biff.

"We can't be. It's too soon." said Dee Dee.

"No, they don't stop. Crusader vehicles never stop." said Hobbes.

"If you could all just return to your seats, it's just a small delay." said the stewardess as she went to the phone in the back and called the pilot. "Maybe just a pit stop." said Biff.

"There's no pit to stop in. I've been on this expedition 14 times, they never stop." said Hobbes.

"Well, evidently, we have stopped so there's no point in denying it."

"We've broken down." laughed Jethro.

"Thanks Jethro." said Val.

"In the middle of nowhere." he continued.

"That's enough. Now, stop it." scolded Biff.

"Ladies and gentlemen and variation thereupon, we're just experiencing a short delay. The driver needs to stabilize the engine feeds. It's perfectly routine, so if you could just stay in your seats…" Jenny looked over at her dad and could tell by the intense look on his face that there was something else going on. She watched as The Doctor started to move toward the cockpit door, but was stopped by the stewardess. "No, I'm sorry, sir, I… could you please…"

"There you go." said The Doctor calmly, showing her his psychic paper. "Engine expert. Two ticks." With that he opened the door to the cockpit and stepped inside ignoring the stewardess who was still trying to get him back in his seat. The door slid shut behind him as he leaned up against the back of the pilot's seat. "Sorry," said the pilot turning to face The Doctor. "If you could return to your seat, sir…"

"Company insurance." said The Doctor once again flashing the psychic paper. "Let's see if we can get an early assessment. So what's the problem, Driver Joe?"

"We're stabilizing the engine feed, won't take long." said Joe.

"Um, no, 'cause that's the engine feed," said The Doctor, pointing to equipment. "That line there, and it's fine. And it's a micropetrol engine, so stabilizing doesn't really make sense, does it? Sorry, I'm The Doctor. I'm very clever. So, what's wrong?"

""We've just stopped." said the man sitting in the chair next to the pilot. "Look, all systems fine, everything's working, but we're not moving." The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and did a scan of the main console. "Oh, you're right; no faults. And who are you?" he asked.

"Claude, I'm the mechanic… trainee." said the man.

"Nice to meet you." said The Doctor.

"I've sent a distress signal." said Joe. "They should dispatch a rescue truck, top speed."

"How long till they get here?" asked The Doctor.

"About an hour." Joe replied.

"Well, since we're waiting, shall we take a look outside?" said The Doctor. This comment caught Joe and Claude off guard and neither knew how to respond. "Just lift the screens a bit?" continued The Doctor.

"It's 100% x-tonic out there. We'd be vaporized." said Joe.

"Nah, those window are finitoglass. They'd give you a couple of minutes. Go on, live a little." coaxed The Doctor. Joe and Claude gave a nervous but excited chuckle as Joe hit the button to lift the screens. When the screens lifted, they were greeted by the most beautiful sight… a city made entirely out of crystals and diamonds glistening in the sunlight.

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**Please leave me a review and let me know what you though of this chapter. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi all! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted, life's been a bit crazy. Hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

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Joe, Claude, and The Doctor sucked in their breaths at the beautiful sight before them. The light danced off of the diamond in ways that they didn't know were possible.; it almost hurt their eyes, the dancing lights were so bright. "Wow." finally gasped Joe.

"That is beautiful." said The Doctor in awe.

"Look at all those diamonds." said Claude, his eyes as wide as they could go, trying to take in as much as he could. "Poisoned by the sun, no one can ever touch them."

"Joe, you said we took a detour." asked The Doctor not even looking at the man he was taking too. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the glorious sight in front of them.

"Just about 40 kliks to the west." Joe replied, who also couldn't tear his eyes away from the window.

"It that a recognized path?" The Doctor asked again.

"No, it's a new one. The computer worked it out on automatic." said Joe.

"So we're the first. This piece of ground, no one's ever been here before. Not in the whole of recorded history." said The Doctor softly as if a voice any louder than a whisper would disturb the splendor in front of him.

"Did you just…" suddenly said Claude startling the other two.

"What?" asked The Doctor, trying to follow the direction Claude's hand was pointing, but he saw nothing.

"No, sorry, it was nothing." said Claude as he relaxed back into his seat.

"What did you see?" The Doctor asked in earnest, his eyes finally straying from the diamonds to look directly at Claude.

"Just there, that ridge… like… like a shadow, just… just for a second." stammered Claude once again pointing, with the other two trying to see what he saw.

"What sort of shadow?" asked The Doctor, but he didn't receive an answer for at that moment alarms started to blare throughout the cabin. "Xtonic rising. Shields down." said Joe, flicking a switch which began to lower the shields. The shields were halfway down when Claude once again made the other two jump. "Look, look! There he is! There he is! Look, there!" he shouted pointing frantically to somewhere out the window.

"Where?" asked The Doctor, desperately trying to see where Claude was pointing too, but once again saw nothing as the shields closed completely. "What was it?" he asked Claude.

"Like just something shifting, something sort of dark, like it was running." said Claude.

"Running which way?" asked The Doctor in a nervous whisper.

"Towards us." came Claude's simple reply.

"Right, Doctor, back to your seat and, uh, not a word. Rescue's on its way. If you could close the door… thank you." said Joe, traces of fear evident in his eyes and voice, as he and Claude watched The Doctor leave. Once on the other side of the door, The Doctor was confronted by Sky and Jenny. "What did they say? Did they tell you?" asked Sky.

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Jenny.

"Oh, just stabilizing, happens all the time." said The Doctor, but from his tone of voice Jenny could tell that something was up. "I don't need this." said Sky her voice hinting of frustration. "I'm on a schedule. This is completely unnecessary."

"Back to your seats." said the stewardess walking between them to the cockpit door. "Thank you." she continued when the three of them took their seats.

"What's going on?" Jenny whispered to her dad.

"Nothing, everything's fine." he said.

"Liar. Something's going on, why won't you tell me." she replied.

"Nothing is going on." said The Doctor.

"Dad…"

"Jenny, stop it. Nothing is going on."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. I can tell by your voice, it's the same one you used in The Library; the voice when you don't want people to panic. What's going on?" pressed Jenny. The Doctor sighed, she was beginning to know him too well. "Alright, but what I'm about to tell you stays between us, don't breath a word about it to anyone." he said.

"Ok." said Jenny leaning in closer to her father as he began to whisper. "I don't know why we have stopped, rather I don't have a valid explanation. The engines are micropetrol so there is no reason to stabilize them. But there is something else… the mechanic saw something when we lifted the shields… something dark… and, according to him, it was running right for us."

"What was it?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know, and I don't like not knowing." said The Doctor.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"We have to keep everyone calm, don't start a panic. Don't tell a soul." he said.

"Understood." said Jenny as both of them leaned back into their seats, trying to appear calm but inside they were ready for anything. The Doctor took a deep breath as he tilted his head back onto his seat. "So much for the vacation." he thought. A tap on his shoulder cause him to look around the seat to see Dee Dee leaning forward. "Excuse me, Doctor, the engines, they're micropetrol engines aren't they?" she asked.

"Now, don't bother the man." said Hobbes. Jenny clenched her hands, she was getting annoyed at the way Hobbes talked to Dee Dee, like he thought she didn't know anything and shouldn't open her mouth.

"My father was a mechanic." replied Dee Dee.

"You tell him Dee Dee." muttered Jenny loud enough for The Doctor to hear. Without taking his eyes off of Dee Dee, he reached a hand back and lightly hit her shoulder as if to say, 'behave'. "Micropetrol doesn't stabilize. What does 'stabilize' mean?" continued Dee Dee.

"Well, bit of flimflam. Don't worry, they're sorting it out." The Doctor said calmly.

"So it's not the engines?" suddenly asked Hobbes, standing from his seat and moving closer.

"It's just a little pause, that's all." The Doctor tried to reassure him.

"How much air have we got?" asked Hobbes a little too loudly."

"Professor, it's fine." said The Doctor trying to curb the panic before it started.

"What did he say?" suddenly came the voice of Val the panic already starting to show in her voice.

"Nothing." said The Doctor. "Initiating panic in 5 seconds." muttered Jenny which got her another light hit on her arm.

"A-Are we running out of air?" continued Val.

"I was just speculating." said Hobbes trying to back pedal a bit, but the damage was already done. The cockpit door swooshed open and the stewardess walked back out only to be hit with rising panicked questions. "Is that right, Miss? Are we running out of air?" asked Biff.

"Is that what the captain said?" said Val.

"If you could all just remain calm…" started the stewardess but was cut off by Val. "How much air have we got?" she asked.

"Mum, just stop it." said Jethro.

"I can assure you, everything is under control." said the stewardess.

"Well, it doesn't look like it to me." accused Biff.

"Just stop it." said Jethro starting to get agitated.

"Well, he said it." said Val referring to Hobbes. All of a sudden everyone began talking at once as panic took hold of the group. "So much for keeping everyone from panicking." said Jenny as she and The Doctor stood up, trying to get everyone to stop talking. After a few failed attempts The Doctor had had it. "QUIET!" he yelled, his voice seeming to bounce off the walls. But it did the trick and everyone went silent and look at him. "Thank you." he said in a much calmer softer voice. "Now, if you'd care to listen to my good friend Dee Dee…" he motioned over to her and she slowly stood up. "Um… it's just that, well, the air's on a circular filter, so we could stay breathing for 10 years."

"There you go." said The Doctor. "Now, I've spoken to the captain and I can guarantee you that everything's fine." Everyone seemed to relax a little after that speech, but it didn't last. For, only seconds after The Doctor had spoken, there came two lone knocks from outside the vehicle. Everyone looked around baffled and deadly silent. "What was that?" asked Jenny.

"It must be the metal. We're cooling down. It's just settling." said Hobbes.

"Rocks… could be rocks falling." said Dee Dee.

"What I want to know is, how long do we have to sit here?" asked Biff. Then it happened again; the two knocks on the side of the vehicle. "What is that?" asked Sky.

"Is someone out there?" asked Val.

"Now, don't be ridiculous." said Hobbes with a nervous laugh.

"He's right," said Jenny. "With the xtonic sunlight, nothing should be alive out there… right?" she said this last part quietly to her dad.

"Like I said, it could be rocks." said Dee Dee.

"We're out in the open, nothing could fall against the sides." said the stewardess. The knocking came again but this time from another part of the vehicle. To Jenny, it felt like the 'thing' was stalking them, looking for any weakness; sizing up it's prey. "Knock, knock." softly said The Doctor.

"Who's there?" said Jethro, clearly enjoying the strange situation they were in. Jenny could tell from her talk with Jethro an hour ago that he enjoyed anything that would send shivers down your spine. All was quiet for a minute before Sky spoke. "Is there something out there?" she asked, but when she got no response she continued her voice trembling with panic. "Well, anyone?" The two knocks came again causing everyone to jump in their seats and swivel around to the sound, which had moved again. "What the hell is making that noise?" demanded Sky.

"I'm sorry, but Jenny is right, with the xtonic rays out there it would destroy any living thing in a split second." said Hobbes.

"What if it's not living." joked Jethro, but was silence right away by his mother. "He's got a point." whispered Jenny to her dad, who's face went grim at that thought.

"It is impossible for someone to be outside." continued Hobbes pretending like he hadn't heard Jethro. The knocking came again and they all jumped, getting more on edge with each knock. "Oh, well, what the hell is that then?" yelled Sky. The Doctor moved through the group to spot where the knock had recently occurred. He pulled out a stethoscope and placed it on the wall, hoping to hear a clue as to what they were dealing with. "Sir, you really should get back to your seat." earnestly said the stewardess to The Doctor.

"Hello." whispered The Doctor and immediately the knocking sounded again but from the back of the vehicle. Everyone had left their seats by this time, trying to stay as far away from the walls as possible. "It's moving." commented Jethro, the enjoyment leaving his voice. The Doctor walked toward the back. "Dad…" said Jenny but was stopped by the sound of a door handle rattling. The thing was trying to open the back door. This caused everyone to enter a new level of panic. "It's trying the door." gasped Val her eyes wide with fear.

"There is no 'it'. There's nothing out there, can't be." said Hobbes.

"Then what's jiggling the handle, professor." said Jenny. Hobbes opened his mouth to respond the rattling seemed to be getting louder. Everyone jumped and gasped when suddenly the knocks came from the roof. By this point, no one said a word, they were caught up in their own thoughts as to what could possibly be out there. All was silent for a minute when the knocks came again… this time from the main entrance. "That… that's the entrance. Can it get in?" asked Val in fear.

"No, that door's on 200 weight of hydraulics." said Dee Dee.

"Stop it. Don't encourage them." said Hobbes.

"What do you think it is?" harshly asked Dee Dee. Biff moved to the door and put his hands on it. "Biff, don't." said Val.

"Mr. Cane, better not." cautioned The Doctor.

"Nah, it's cast iron, that door." said Biff as he knocked on the door three times which was immediately followed by more knocking from the outside. This time, however, there weren't just two knocks… there were three.

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**Let me know what you thought. Send me a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Three times." said Val her voice shaking. "Did you hear that? It did it three times."

"It answered." said Jethro his face contorted in fear.

"It did it three times!" yelled Val.

"Maybe it was a coincidence." said Jenny, who was standing back with Sky and the stewardess. "All right, all right, all right. Everyone, calm down." said The Doctor going to the front of the group.

"No, but it answered. It… it answered. Don't tell me that thing's not alive… it answered him!" said Sky her voice showing terror now.

"We don't know that. Jenny might be right, it could have been just a coincidence." said The Doctor. He moved to the door as the knocking came again. "I really must insist you get back to your seats!" said the stewardess, moving to the middle of the group.

"No, don't just stand there telling us the rules! You're the hostess! You're supposed to do something!" yelled Sky.

"Dad, be careful." said Jenny. All eyes turned back to The Doctor as he leaned against the front door and banged on it four times. There was a pause in which everyone began to relax, thinking that the thing wouldn't respond. No such luck; they all gasped as the thing repeated The Doctor's knocks from outside. "What is it? What the hell's making that noise? She said she'd get me." said Sky, her voice changing from panic to terror. "Stop it. Make it stop. Somebody make it stop."

"Mrs Silvestry, it going to be ok." said Jenny trying to comfort the woman. Behind Sky and Jenny the hostess picked up the phone connected to the cockpit, trying to get in touch with Joe and Claude, but there was no answer. "Don't just stand there looking at me." yelled Sky, Jenny's calming attempting having no affect what so ever. Everyone was looking at her as she melted into a blubbering puddle of terror. "It's not my fault, he started it with his stories and he made it worse!" she said pointing to Hobbes.

"Calm down!" yelled Dee Dee, trying to get through to Sky.

"Yelling at her isn't going to help!" yelled Jenny in return.

"You're not helping!" yelled Val at both Dee Dee and Jenny. The noise in the vehicle reached an all time high as everyone started to yell at one another. Sky's panic and terror seemed to spread like wildfire to everyone; even Jenny could feel it tugging at her mind. All throughout the chaos, The Doctor was trying to calm everyone without raising his voice too. But nothing seemed to work; he was just about to shout for silence when Jenny suddenly stepped directly in front of Sky. She looked the terrified woman in the eye and yelled in a commanding voice, "Calm down!" It seemed to work, the din of voices silenced but that just made the thumping sounds from outside all the louder. Jenny watched as Sky's eyes widen and terror consume her. Sky started backing up, her eyes never leaving the ceiling (which was where the knocking was now coming from). All the while Sky kept repeating, "It's coming for me. It's coming for me." and with each phrase the knocking got louder and more forceful. Jenny took a step forward every time Sky took one back. "Sky, it's going to be ok. It's not going to get you. The Doctor won't let it. Sky, you have to listen to me." she yelled but nothing seemed to work. Finally, Sky was just screaming in terror as she pressed her back up against the wall. Everyone was watching this scene except The Doctor. He was listening to the knocking and following their path. His eyes widened as he realized that the knocking was closing in on Sky and Jenny. "Get out of there!" he yelled lunging forward as the knocks stopped directly over Sky. He barely had time to pull Jenny away before the knocking was so forcefully that it blew circuits and dented the walls around Sky. Sparks flew from all the lights as they blackened and as the whole vehicle was tossed from side to side. The compartment was filled with voices only this time with screams of terror. The Doctor hugged Jenny as close to him as possible as they were tossed around like a salad in the dark. Finally the vehicle steadied its self, and the screams were replaced with groans. One of the vehicles TV's had turned on and the faint sound of the 80's music could be heard through the compartment. The Doctor slowly raised both him and Jenny to a standing position. "Arms, legs, neck, head, nose, I'm fine." he muttered to himself, checking to see if he had 'lost' anything. He then pulled Jenny away from him and repeated the process with her. "Anything hurt?" he asked her.

"I don't think so. Just a few bruises." she said.

"Excellent. Everyone else? How are we? Everyone alright?" he yelled out. Jenny placed her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths. When she stood up straight something on the lone TV caught her eye. Instead of the singer there was a picture of a blond female who couldn't be much older than 26. There was no audio coming from the TV but Jenny could clearly see that the woman was mouthing the word, "Doctor". In fact, she seemed to be screaming. The picture only lasted 5 seconds before the screen went black; the TV dying for good. She gave her head a shake, thinking that she must have been seeing things since she had hit her head pretty hard on one of the seats. "Earthquake, must be." groaned Hobbes as he pulled himself up.

"Sir, that's impossible." said Dee Dee standing rubbing a sore spot on her shoulder. "The ground is fixed. It's solid."

"We've got torches. Everyone, take a torch. They're in the back of the seats." came the hostesses voice as she shone a light into everyone's face. "Oi, not in the voice." complained Jenny as the light hit her; it mad her throbbing head feel worse. Soon the compartment was filled with beams of light. "Oh, Jethro." came Val's voice. "Sweetheart, come here." she said walking over to her son in worry.

"Never mind me. What about her?" he asked, shining his torch onto Sky. As one, all the torches focused on Sky. She was huddled in front of the first row of seats… which no longer had upholstery on them. "What's happened to the seats?" asked Val in shock.

"Who did that?" asked Biff.

"They've been ripped up!" said Val. The Doctor immediately moved over to Sky, kneeling down beside her. "It's all right. It's all right. It's all right." she said in a soothing voice. "It's over. We're still alive. Look," he shone his torch at the walls. "The wall's still intact, do you see? We're safe."

"Joe, Claude?" said the hostess into the cockpit phone stationed at the back of the vehicle, but there was still only silence on the other end.

"It's ok now, Sky. Listen, the knocking has stopped." asked Jenny moving behind her dad.

"Driver Joe, can you hear me?!" said the hostess panic again creeping into her voice. Once again she was greeted by silence and this time she threw the phone to the ground. "I'm not getting any response. The intercom must be down." she said as she marched to the front of the room and hit the cockpit door button. The door slid open but instead of the cockpit they were all hit with blinding light. It was light from the outside… xtonix light. Everyone screamed at the sudden brightness and intense heat from the light. Jenny grabbed the back of The Doctor's jacket and crouched down behind him. 'So much for our relaxing break." she thought to herself as the light ripped through the compartment. The hostess recovered from her shock and quickly hit the button causing the doors to slid shut again. Everyone moved to the back of the vehicle except for The Doctor and Jenny. "What happened?! What was that?!" yelled Val.

"Is it the driver? Have we lost the driver?" asked Biff. The Doctor jumped from his position near Sky over to the circuit panel that controlled the cockpit door.

"The cabin's gone." said the hostess.

"Don't be ridiculous." said Hobbes. "It can't be gone? How can it be gone?"

"Well, you saw it." said Dee Dee.

"There was nothing there, like it was ripped away." said the hostess.

"What are you doing?" asked Biff as he watched The Doctor open up the cabin panel.

"Ah, that's better, a little bit of light. Thank you. Molto Bene." he replied as several torches turned his way. As he ran his screwdriver around the outside of the panel Val spoke up, "Do you know what you're doing?"

"The cabin's gone. You'd better leave that wall alone." said Biff.

"He's not going to make it worse." said Jenny standing up and facing the others trying to restore calm, but failing.

"The cabin can't be gone!" said Hobbes.

"Well, it is gone. The real question you should be asking is 'are we in any danger'?" said Jenny turning to her dad.

"No, it's safe. Any rupture would automatically seal itself." he replied as he pulled off the panel… which came off completely. A silence filled the compartment as everyone stared at the panel. "Something sliced it off." said The Doctor. "You're right. The cabin's gone."

"But if it gets separated…" started the hostess.

"It loses integrity." finished The Doctor. "I'm sorry. They've been reduced to dust, the driver and the mechanic." He voiced what no one else could; the horrible thought that two people were now dead. Fear began to take over. "But they sent a distress signal." continued The Doctor quickly. "Help is on its way. They saved our lives. We are gonna get out of here, I promise. We're still alive, and they're gonna find us."

"Dad," said Jenny giving him a nudge as she stared at Sky. "Look at her. She hasn't moved not even when the doors opened." The Doctor turned to face Sky.

"Right, yes. Have you got a medical kit?" he asked the hostess as he moved back toward Sky.

"Why won't she turn around?" asked Jethro.

"What's her name?" asked Hobbes, for no one had tried to talk to her except The Doctor and Jenny.

"Silvestry… M-Mrs Sky Silvestry." said the hostess.

"Sky… can you hear me?" asked The Doctor. "Are you all right?" he knelt down again but giving Sky some room.

"Sky, it's ok now. Help is on the way." said Jenny going to move closer to Sky but The Doctor blocked her path with his arm. "Let's give her some room." he said before addressing Sky again. "Can you move, Sky? Just look at me." But he got no response from the woman. After all of the noise from earlier, the silence that followed seemed to be deafening. It was in the silence, however, that Jethro noticed something. "That noise from outside… it's stopped." he said in a half whisper.

"Well, thank god for that." said Val.

"But what if it's not outside anymore? What if it's inside?" he said nervously.

"Inside? Where?" said Val.

"It was heading for her." continued Jethro looking at the hunched form of Sky.

"Sky." said The Doctor softly. "It's all right, Sky. I just want you to turn around. Face me." It was at those words that Sky's hands slowly dropped from her head and she turned to face The Doctor. Every torch was trained on her face but she didn't squint, in fact her eyes were just as wide as they had been before everything went haywire. Sky looked at everyone else in the vehicle but she didn't move her head in fluid motions. They were jagged and quick, almost like she was a mechanical doll. For Jenny, what bothered her most were Sky's eyes. They were so wide and they seemed to stare at you with such intensity that you felt like she was memorizing your whole being; everything about you, even your worst fears. The Doctor leaned in closer and Jenny took a step back when those big eyes snapped back to him. The Doctor tilted his head this and that while Sky copied his movements. "Sky?" he slowly asked.

"Sky?" she repeated just as slowly.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Are you all right?" she copied.

"Are you hurt?"

"Are you hurt?"

"You don't have to talk."

"You don't have to talk."

"I'm trying to help."

"I'm trying to help."

"My name's The Doctor."

"My name's The Doctor."

"Okay, can you stop?"

"Okay, can you stop?"

"I'd like you to stop."

"I'd like you to stop." And that's how the conversations went. Someone would speak and Sky would copy them a second later. A few questions were asked and people started to be filled with fear and annoyance, until The Doctor silenced them all. "Shh, shh, shh, shh, all of you." stated The Doctor.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh, all of you."

"My name's Jethro." he said.

"My name's Jethro."

"Shut up, Jethro." snapped Jenny, clearly annoyed that Jethro was finding such amusement in what was happening.

"Shut up, Jethro."

"Why are you repeating?" asked The Doctor, scooting closer to Sky so now only a foot stood between them.

"Why are you repeating?"

"What is that… learning?" he said.

"What is that… learning?"

"Copying?"

"Copying?"

"Absorbing." he said, his eyes widening as that possibility popped into his head.

"Absorbing."

"The square root of pi is 1.772453850905516027298167483341, wow." quickly rattled off The Doctor and everyone was absolutely stunned when sky repeated back all those numbers perfectly. This immediately threw the compartment back into chaos. Hobbes and Dee Dee were saying that was impossible, Val and Biff kept yelling at Sky to stop repeating, and Jethro was getting her to repeat things such as '666'. Jenny even got pulled into it, mainly trying to get Val and Biff to shut up, they're voices had begun to grate on her nerves. The constant din of voices went on for 2 minutes until all the lights in the vehicle turned back on.

"That's the back up system." said the hostess.

"Well… that's a bit better." said Biff turning away from Sky and switching off his torch. The lights seemed to have eased some of them tension in the room as everyone back away from Sky and took some deep breaths. A light of hope flickered in everyone. "What about the rescue? How long's it gonna take?" asked Val, a bit calmer now that she could see.

"About 60 minutes, that's all." said the hostess.

"Then I suggest we all calm down. This panic isn't helping." said Hobbes. Jenny took a few more deep breaths when her eyes settled on Jethro; he was still looking at Sky, but his face was one of shock. She looked down at Sky and saw what had Jethro so shocked. She nudged her dad as Hobbes continued to talk. "That poor woman is evidently in a state of self-induced hysteria. We should leave her alone."

"Doctor." worriedly said Jethro at the same time Jenny said "Dad."

"I know." he replied.

"Doctor, now, step back." said Hobbes stepping toward him. "I think you should leave her… alone." Suddenly everyone noticed what Jethro, Jenny, and The Doctor were so concerned about. Sky was no longer repeating… she was now speaking in perfect sync.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it's taken me awhile to put up this new chapter. I've been in the process of changing jobs and it's been a little crazy. Thank you for your patience, I WILL finish this story. :)**

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"What's she doing?" asked Hobbes, his voice sounding strangely echoed as Sky spoke in exact unison with him. "How can she do that?"

"She's talking with you… and with me. Oh my god! Biff, what's she doing?" said Val turning towards her husband as he came to stand next to her.

"She's repeating… at the exact same time." said Jethro.

"But that's impossible." said Dee Dee.

"There's not even a delay." said Jenny, herself feeling unnerved by the echo Sky added to her voice. This little outing was getting creepier and making her on edge.

"Oh man, that is weird." said Jethro.

"I think you should all be very, very quiet. Have you got that." said The Doctor.

"How's she doing it?" said Val fear once again settling in her voice.

"Mrs. Cane, please be quite." said The Doctor in earnest.

"How can she do that?!" yelled Val. "She's got my voice, she's got my words!" Another thing that made the whole situation more unnerving is that whenever Sky spoke she didn't react in the same fashion. Her face stayed blank as she stared holes into the original speaker. So, while Val's face contorted into terror, Sky's remained impassive while Val's terror filled words came from her mouth.

"Sweetheart, be quiet. Hush, hush, hush." said Biff, trying to calm his wife down, but hearing Sky copy his words only pushed him into fear himself. "She's doing it to me." he said.

"Both of you shut up." said Jenny. "It doesn't matter right now how she's doing it…"

"How can you say that?" said Val incredulously cutting Jenny off. "She has our voices, including yours, how can you say that that doesn't matter."

"Just stop it, all of you. Stop it please" said The Doctor.

"I know she has my voice, but if you had let me finish my previous statement I was going to say the only thing that matters is why she's doing this." harshly said Jenny glaring over at Val.

"I said stop it." said The Doctor now sending a stern glance back at his daughter. Jenny gave a huff and tore her eyes away from Val to look at The Doctor. She saw a flash of his sternness but it was quickly replaced with a look that told Jenny to remain calm. She took a few deep breaths, her face relaxing as The Doctor bent back down to look Sky in the eye. "Now then Sky…" he said as she spoke in unison with him. "Are you Sky?" they continued. "Is Sky still in there? Mrs. Silvestry?" Jenny couldn't help a small shiver that went down her spine at hearing the strange echo that accompanied her father's voice. "You know exactly what I'm going to say. How are you doing that?" said The Doctor and Sky. "Roast beef. Bananas. The Medusa Cascade." Here The Doctor leaned in until he was mere inches from Sky's face. It was like they were having a staring contest; the most intense staring contest one could think of. He stared shouting out random words trying to see if Sky would slip up. "Bang!" they yelled. "Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Jenny, Tardis." Jenny had to hold back a laugh at their next words. "Shamble bobble dibble dooble. Oh Doctor you're so handsome. Yes, I am, thank you. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O…" The small laugh left Jenny as she watched Sky speak flawless along with her dad; Sky had not made one mistake. The Doctor stood up and Jenny could see a flicker of intrigue on his face as he stated, "First she repeats then she catches up. What's the next stage?"

"Next stage of what?" worriedly asked Dee Dee.

"That's not her, is it?" said Jethro. "That's not Mrs. Silvestry any more."

"It doesn't look like it." said Jenny.

"I think, the more we talk, the more she learns. Now, I'm all for education but in this case… maybe not. Let's just move back. Come on, come with me." said The Doctor, taking Jenny's hand and guiding her away. "Everyone, get back, all of you as far as you can." he demanded as he herded everyone else to the back of the vehicle.

"Doctor, make her stop." said Val, her terror bringing her close to tears.

"Val, come with me. Come to the back. Don't look at her." said Jenny gently nodding a head toward Sky. Now, Jenny may have not liked Val very much, but those unshed tears caused her to rest a comforting hand on Val's shoulder. Val looked over at her in confusion and Jenny thought she was going to tell her to get lost. Instead Jenny was given a slight smile of thanks before the terror pulled Val back down again. "50 minutes… that's all we need." said The Doctor once everyone was as far back from Sky as they could get. "50 minutes till the rescue arrives and she's not exactly strong. All she's got is our voices."

"I, I can't look at her. It's those eyes." stammered Val, who had moved away from Jenny to stand huddled by Biff. Jenny look at Sky and understood what Val meant, Sky's eyes looked hallow as they stared unblinking at everyone.

"We must not look at goblin men." suddenly said Dee Dee causing everyone to look at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Biff.

"It's a poem… Christina Rossetti." clarified The Doctor.

"We must not look at goblin men, we must not buy their fruits. Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry, thirsty roots." continued Dee Dee in an ominous voice made all the more horrible as Sky talked along with her. Even when they were more than 6 feet away from her and speaking in hushed voices, Sky was still speaking in perfect unison with them.

"Actually, I don't think that's helping." said The Doctor as everyone squirmed where they stood.

"Definitely not." said Jenny as she began to get uneasy once more.

"She's not a goblin or a monster. She's just a very sick woman." said Hobbes.

"Maybe that's why it went for her." said Jethro.

"There is no 'it'." firmly stated Hobbes.

"I think that statements running a bit thin wouldn't you say professor." said Jenny.

"Think about it though… that knocking, it went all the way around the bus until it found her. And she was the most scared out of all of us. Maybe… that's what it needed." said Jethro.

"Absolute and utter fear." said Jenny.

"That's how it got in." said Jethro with a slight grin at Jenny.

"For the last time… nothing can live on the surface of Midnight." Hobbes firmly stated.

"Professor," The Doctor quickly interjected. "I'm glad you've got an absolute definition of life in the universe, but perhaps the universe has got ideas of its own, hmm? Now, trust me. I've got previous experience. I think there might well be some consciousness inside Mrs. Silvestry. But maybe she's still in there and it's our job to help her." he finished.

"Well, _you_ can help her. I'm not going near her." said Biff.

"No, I've got to stay back, cause if she's copying us then maybe the final stage is becoming us. I don't want her becoming me or things could get a whole lot worse." said The Doctor.

"Oh, like you're so special." spat Val. All of Jenny's sympathy for Val faded away with that comment. She wasn't about to let anyone judge her dad like that, especially not someone like Val.

"As a matter of fact, he is." she stated stepping closer to The Doctor as Val looked at both of them in haughty manner.

"So, that's decided. We stay back and we wait. When the rescue ship comes we can get her to the hospital." said The Doctor. All was quiet for a while until the soft voice of the hostess shocked them all. "We should throw her out."

"I beg your pardon." said Hobbes.

"Can we do that?" asked Val.

"Don't be ridiculous." hissed The Doctor, very much disliking the idea.

"That thing, whatever it is, killed the driver and the mechanic and I don't think she's finished yet." said the hostess.

"That thing is still inside a human being, Sky might still be in there." urged Jenny disliking this idea as much as her dad.

"She can't even move." said The Doctor in earnest making a big gesture back to Sky.

"Look at her. Look at her eyes! She killed Joe and she killed Claude and we're next." said the hostess.

"She's still doing it." said Biff, who had been watching Sky repeat every word that came out of their mouths. He roughly pushed back The Doctor and stalked toward Sky, stopping just a few feet from her. "Just stop it! Stop talking! Stop it!" he yelled, becoming more agitated as Sky shouted the words with him.

"Biff, don't sweetheart!" cried Val, desperately motioning for her husband to came back to her side.

"But she won't stop!" he yelled moving back into the group. "And we can't throw her out, though. We can't even open the doors."

"No one is getting thrown out." firmly said The Doctor looking Biff in the eyes. Both of the men stared at one another not blinking. Biff continued to stare at The Doctor as he slowly moved back to Val. The thing that finally broke their stare was Dee Dee. "Yes, we can throw her out cause there's an air pressure seal." she said. "Like when you opened the cabin door you weren't pulled out. You had a couple of seconds cause it takes the pressure-wall about six seconds to collapse, well, six seconds, exactly. That's enough time to throw someone out."

"Thanks, Dee Dee. Just what we needed." said The Doctor, his voice hinting of sarcasm.

"Would it kill her… outside?" asked Val.

"I don't know, but she's got a body now. It would certainly kill the physical form" said Dee Dee.

"Oh, so, let me see if I got this straight." said Jenny irritably. "You're saying that if, IF, we were, by some remote chance, to throw her out it might not even kill the 'thing' that's inside Sky. BUT, it will kill Sky, who I might is just an innocent bystander in this as the rest of you are. What if it was one of you, would you want us to throw you out, knowing that you would die but the 'thing' inside you might live."

"Maybe the 'thing' and Sky were in this together. Maybe this was their plan to get us out here and then murder us." said Biff.

"You didn't see the look of pure terror in her eyes right before it possessed her. That type of terror doesn't come from two people making caring out a plan… and it can't be faked no matter how hard you try." said Jenny, quickly adding the last part.

"You won't be saying that when it comes to kill you." spat Val. "Then you'll be just as happy to throw her out like the rest of us."

"No one is killing anyone!" shouted The Doctor, anger now taking control as he thought of anything or one hurting his daughter.

"I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice, but we've got that one." said the hostess pointing to the back door behind them. "All we need to do is grab hold of her and throw her out."

"Now listen, all of you," said The Doctor his anger ebbing and frustration taking center stage as he gestured back to Sky. "For all we know that's a brand new life form over there and if it's come inside to discover us then what's it found? This little bunch of humans, what do you amount to, murder? Cause this is where you decide, you decide who you are. Could you actual murder her, any of you? Or are you better than that." There was a moment of silence as The Doctor looked around to each passenger.

"I'd do it." firmly whispered the hostess.

"So would I." said Biff.

"And me." chimed in Val.

"I think we should." said Dee Dee.

"What?" asked The Doctor incredulously; he couldn't believe Dee Dee was siding with them. Well, he could _believe it_, but he hadn't _thought_ she would.

"I want her out." said Dee Dee.

"You can't say that." said The Doctor.

"I'm sorry, but you said it yourself, Doctor. She is growing in strength!" said Dee Dee.

"That's not what he said." said Jenny, trying desperately to 'straighten out' Dee Dee's train of thought.

"I want to go home." That one line that Dee Dee uttered cause Jenny, for the first time, to want this just to be over. She, like everyone here, wanted to get out of this vehicle; she wanted to be back with Donna eating ribs while fighting anti-gravity. She suddenly saw how they could quickly jump to the conclusion to kill if it meant they might be able to live and return home; return to safety. "I'm sorry." Dee Dee's voice brought Jenny back to the situation at hand. "I want to be safe."

"You'll be safe any minute now. The rescue truck is on its way." said The Doctor calmly. That calmness made Jenny want to cling to her father; to share in his ability to weather what came his way. She settled for moving closer to him and taking a few deep breaths, like she was breathing in his courage. Jenny then told herself that she would be eating ribs with Donna later, cause her father was going to save them and return everyone to safety.

"And what happens then, Doctor?" said the hostess. "If the rescue truck takes that thing back to the leisure palace, if that thing reaches civilization, what if it spreads?"

"No, cause when we get back to the base I'll be there to contain it." said The Doctor.

"Well, you haven't done much so far." spat Val.

"You're just standing at the back with the rest of us." said Biff.

"He's trying to keep the rest of you calm and away from harm." said Jenny, trying to sound calm like The Doctor. But this was Val and Biff she was talking to; she knew her calmness wouldn't last long.

"If he wanted us to be safe then he would agree to throw her out." spat Val looking Jenny in the eyes.

"Maybe he cares more for human life than you do." shot back Jenny, her calmness gone.

"She's dangerous." said the hostess referring to Sky. "It's my job to see that this vessel is safe. We should get rid of her."

"Now, hang on." suddenly chimed in Hobbes, who had been quietly listening to the discussions as he formed his own opinion. "I think, perhaps, we're all going a little bit too far."

"At last! Thank you." said The Doctor, giving Hobbes a happy pat on the shoulder; grateful that someone was finally agreeing with him, well, besides Jenny.

"Two people are dead!" shouted the hostess.

"Don't make it a third." roughly stated The Doctor.

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**Let me know what you think by leaving a review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Doctor Who. The only thing I own are the words coming from Jenny's mouth. Enjoy this newest installment of Midnight.**

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The tension in the air was so thick; Jenny could almost imagine cutting it with a knife, as one would do with a dense cake. The Doctor's words made everyone stop suddenly, realizing for a brief moment how their fear was causing them to act. The Doctor stared at those around him for a while before looking straight at Jethro. "Jethro, what do you say?" he said.

"I'm not killing anyone." whispered Jethro.

"Thank you." said The Doctor in relief.

"He's just a boy." spat Val.

"What, so I don't get a vote?!" said Jethro angrily.

"Just because he's young doesn't mean shit. Everyone get's the chance to voice their opinion no matter what their age." said Jenny.

"He's our son and his vote is the same as ours." said Biff.

"There isn't a vote! It's not happening, ever!" yelled The Doctor. "If you try to throw her out that door you'll have to get past me first." There was dead silence; all that could be heard was the static from the TV screens that had burst to life while they were talking. Then came a voice that told The Doctor these people were almost beyond the point of reason. "Okay." said the hostess.

"Fine by me." said Biff.

"Are you being serious?" asked Jenny, not really believing that they could do it. Yet, with the terror that was filling their minds, Jenny was sure anything was possible.

"Oh, now you're being stupid. Just think about it! Could you take, actually take hold of someone and throw them out of that door?!" yelled The Doctor getting into Biff's face.

"Calling me a coward?" said Biff, his voice deepening and harsher making him sound like an animal fighting for dominance.

"Dad…" said Jenny in a calmer voice than she thought was possible at the moment. She laid a hand on her father's arm gently pulling him back to stand by her. Jenny knew that the situation was tense enough and a power struggle would only make it worse, which didn't seem possible… until Val spoke. "Who put you in charge, anyway?" she spat glaring at The Doctor.

"I'm sorry, but you're a doctor of what exactly?" asked Hobbes.

"He wasn't even booked in. The rest of you bought you're tickets in advance, he just turned up out of the blue; well him and her." said the hostess turning her eyes to look at Jenny. This was bad, they were turning on Jenny and The Doctor; beginning to call into question their motives.

"Where are you from?" asked Val.

"We're just traveling. We're just travelers, that's all." said The Doctor taking a small step away form the group. He put a hand in front of Jenny pushing her slightly behind him in case things became ugly. "Like an immigrant." said Val.

"Who were you talking to?" asked the hostess in suspicion. "Before you got on board you were talking to someone. Who was that?"

"That was just our friend Donna." said Jenny in defense.

"And what were you saying to her?" asked Biff.

"He hasn't even told us his name." said Val.

"Thing is though, Doctor, you've been loving this." said Jethro.

"Oh, Jethro, not you too." sighed The Doctor, his hope of having an ally in Jethro crumbling to dust.

"No, but ever since all the trouble started you've been loving it." said Jethro.

"It has to be said." said Hobbes. "You do seem to have a certain… glee."

"All right, I'm interested." confessed The Doctor gesturing to Sky. "Yes, I can't help it cause whatever's inside her, it's brand new and that's fascinating."

"What, you wanted this to happen?" yelled Val.

"Hey, my dad might be interested in things that are a bit on the creepy side, but he is no psycho. He didn't want this to happen; to be stuck out here with you lot. All he wanted to do was see a magnificent waterfall and then go have ribs at an anti-gravity restaurant. Hell, that's what I wanted too." said Jenny pushing her dad's hand out of the way, she'd be damned if anyone such as Val judged her father. But it was as if no one was listening to a word she said; they were too focused in on blaming The Doctor.

"You two were talking to her, before all the trouble started, right at the front you were talking to that Sky woman… the three of you together, I saw you!" yelled Biff.

"Well, we all did!" shouted Val.

"And you, Doctor, you went into the cabin." said the hostess.

"What were you saying to her?" said Biff.

"We were just talking." calmly said The Doctor.

"Saying what!?" yelled Biff his face getting red with anger.

"You call us 'humans', like you're not one of us." said Jethro who was now yelling.

"He did, that's what he said." accused Val.

"And the wiring, he went into that panel and opened up the wiring." said Dee Dee her voice filling with suspicion too.

"That was after everything." said Jenny in her father's defense her voice filling with frustration.

"But how did you know what to do?!" yelled Biff into The Doctor's face.

"Because I'm clever!" shouted The Doctor. All went quiet again only this time the room was filled with indignant scoffs. "I see… well… that makes things clear." said Hobbes insulted by what he thought The Doctor was implying. "And what are we then, idiots?" said Biff.

"That's not what I meant." The Doctor tried to clarify.

"But if you're clever, then what are we?" said Dee Dee.

"You've been looking down on us from the moment we walked in." said Val.

"You've got to be kidding me. Are you even listening to what you are saying?" laughed Jenny.

"Now she's doing it, thinking she's better than us." said Val.

"No, I'm not, I'm trying to get you to see reason, to see that you are scared and are acting out without thinking." yelled Jenny.

"Even if we throw her out, he's practically volunteered himself to go too and I think Jenny is in close second." said the hostess, her voice cold.

"No one is throwing anyone out, ever!" shouted The Doctor, getting angry that they had threatened Jenny's safety. "Just listen to yourselves, please!"

"Do you mean we throw him out as well?" said Biff catching onto what the hostess was hint at. The thing that scared Jenny the most was the look of pleasure that entered Biff's eyes when he said that. The realization of what Biff said took a minute to sink in but when it did Jenny was terrified. "If we have to." agreed the hostess.

"You lay one hand on my father and I promise you will regret it." said Jenny, her voice growing hard as she took a fighting stance directly in front of The Doctor. She may be against killing like The Doctor was, but she had no problem inflicting pain when it meant protecting someone she cared about. The Doctor held up his hand in a calming gesture before laying them on Jenny's shoulders hoping the soft touch would relax her. "Look, just… right, sorry. Yes, hold on." he said softly in the calmest voice he had, which considering his life had just been threatened was pretty calm. "I know you're scare… and so am I. Look at me, I am. But we have all got to calm down and cool off and think!"

"Perhaps you could tell us your name." strongly suggested Hobbes.

"What does it matter?" said The Doctor in exasperation.

"Then tell us." said Hobbes.

"John Smith." said The Doctor after taking a breath. Everyone except Jenny gave a scoff of indignation. "Your real name." Hobbes said sharply.

"What does it matter if he can get you out." said Jenny as Biff talked over her. "He's lying. Look at his face." he said.

"His eyes are the same as her's." said Val casting a quick glance back to Sky then back to The Doctor.

"Why won't you tell us?" asked Jethro.

"Who cares what his real name is; he can save us, that's all that matters." yelled Jenny trying to be heard over the sudden din of voices that filled the room. All the voices were yelling at The Doctor, condemning him while they closed their ears to the truth. The situation was getting out of hand once more everyone was yelling at The Doctor while Jenny yelled right back saying a few choice words that made The Doctor cringe. He'd have to talk to Jenny about that later, but right know he had to try to restore order. "Now listen to me right now! Because you need me, all of you! If we're gonna get out of, then you need me!"" he yelled above the noise silencing the others.

"So you keep saying." chimed in Hobbes as he gestured to Sky. "You've been repeating yourself more than her."

"If anyone's in charge, it should be the professor!" snapped Val.

"Oh that's brilliant. You want to leave that man in charge, the man who so firmly stated that 'nothing can live on the surface of Midnight', even after we were given clear proof that he was wrong." laughed Jenny.

"He's the expert! He knows more about Midnight than two wonderers who think themselves above everyone else." spat Val.

"Mum, look." came the quiet voice of Jethro, barely heard above Val's piercing voice. "You keep out of this, Jethro!" she yelled.

"Look at her." he yelled, demanding to be listened to. Everyone followed his gaze back to Sky, but saw nothing different.

"Look at what… she's the same, as… before…" Val's voice trailed off as they all noticed what had changed. Sky was no longer repeating. "She's stopped." said Dee Dee. Again the only sound in the vehicle was the faint static from the TVs as everyone observed Sky. "When did she…" started The Doctor, but stopped as Sky spoke with him. "No she hasn't, she's still doing it."

"She looks the same to me." muttered Jenny and was shocked that Sky did not speak with her.

"No, she's stopped." said Val, her voice filling with relief. "Look, I'm talking, and she's not."

"What about me? Is she…" said Biff his voice stopping when Sky said nothing. All that Sky did was keep her eyes focused on The Doctor as he slowly moved forward. "Look. Look at that… she's not doing me, she's let me go." he continued happily.

"Mrs. Silvestry? Nor me… nothing." confirmed the hostess.

"Sky… what are you doing?" asked The Doctor.

"She's still doing _him_." said Dee Dee.

"She's only copying you." said Jenny, relieved that Sky had 'let her go'. Her mind, however, was teaming with questions as to way Sky was only talking with her dad.

"Why me?" continued The Doctor. "Why are you doing this?"

"She won't leave him alone. Do you see? I said so, she's with him!" whispered Val.

"They're together." said Biff accusingly. "Will you shut up." Jenny screamed in her mind as her fists clenched and then relaxed, which was the only visible sign that she badly wanted to hit Val and Biff.

"How do you explain it, Doctor? If you're so clever." asked Hobbes snidely.

"I don't know." said The Doctor, his voice still ringing with Sky's voice. "Sky, stop it. I said stop it, just stop it."

"Look at the two of them." said Val harshly.

"That's it." said Jenny as she turned towards Val. The Doctor, sensing that Jenny was about to either scream at or hit Val, put his hand out to stop her. "Calm down." he said softly, but with Sky copying him it wasn't very soft at all. "Now it not the time for yelling… or hitting. Something has changed and I have to figure out why. So, calm down."

"Ok, but I don't know how much longer I can take her." Jenny whispered so low that only The Doctor heard her.

"I know, but you have to get along, for the sake of peace and quiet." said The Doctor with a small smile. Jenny gave a nod as she backed away from her dad as he bent back down to face Sky. Jenny gave everyone a quick look and saw Val scowling at her, to which she gave a smile. The scowl on Val's face deepened at the smile before turning her sour face to The Doctor. "Mrs. Silvestry." said The Doctor. "I'm trying to understand. You've captured my speech, but what for? What do you need? You need my voice in particular; the cleverest voice in the room. Why? Cause I'm the only one who can help? Oh, I'd love that to be true, but your eyes… they're saying something else. Listen to me. Whatever you want, if it's life or form or consciousness or voice, you don't have to steal it. You can find it without hurting anyone and I'll help you. That's a promise. So… what do you think?" There was a moment of silence as The Doctor and Sky stared into each other's eyes, then they continued.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Do we have a deal?"

Everyone one froze and Jenny's hearts skipped a few beats in fear. The Doctor and Sky were no longer speaking together; they had gone back to repeating each other. Except this time… it was The Doctor who was repeating Sky.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to update. The only times I've been able to write are late at night. But all the stuff I write at those hours are absolutely horrid. I want to make sure that you guys get the best of my writing, so it's taken me a lot long then I would like to get this to you. Anyway, here it is... the final part of Midnight. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Hold on. Did she…" stammered Dee Dee.

"She spoke first." finished Jethro.

"She can't have." said Val.

"She did." said Hobbes.

"She spoke first." said Jethro. Jethro cast a glance over to Jenny. He thought she was quite good looking even with terror written on her face. Jenny on the other hand didn't see anyone else. Her mouth opened and closed like she wanted to say something but no words were coming out. It wasn't just the shock of Sky speaking first, but deep down she had the feeling that her father was now being held as a prisoner. All she could do was stare at her dad, stare as a small amount of fear crept into his eyes. It was at that moment that she knew they were truly in trouble. "Oh look at that." said Sky her voice horrifyingly calm and collected. "I'm ahead of you."

"Oh look at that. I'm ahead of you." repeated The Doctor.

"Did you see?" asked Hobbes. "She spoke before he did, definitely."

"_He's_ copying _her_." said Jethro looking back at Sky and The Doctor.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Hobbes asked, but he received no response. Jenny could see him straining to answer with his 'own' voice, yet he couldn't.

"I think it's moved. I think it's letting me go." said Sky.

"I think it's moved. I think it's letting me go." The Doctor repeated, almost like he was being forced to. That caught Jenny's attention. If it had indeed moved then there would be no need for The Doctor to be _forced_ to repeat. Sky had never sounded forced. Sky was forcing him to say those things.

"What do you mean? Letting you go from what?" asked Dee Dee.

"She's lying." softly said Jenny.

"But he's repeating now. He's the one doing it, it's him." said Biff.

"No, it's not him." said Jenny her voice getting stronger as the realization washed over her.

"Mrs. Silvestry, is that you?" asked Hobbes stepping closer to the crouching pair.

"Yes, yes, it's me. I'm coming back. Listen, it's me." said Sky as she backed away slightly from The Doctor as he repeated helplessly.

"It's not her." yelled Jenny.

"What do you mean it's not her? How could it not be her." said Val with a huff.

"Sky started repeating when the thing entered her and now The Doctor's repeating. So it must have transferred to him. It's inside of him now." said the hostess.

"No, can't you hear it in his voice. He's being forced to repeat. Sky never sounded forced." said Jenny her voice getting higher hoping someone would believe her.

"The hostess is right. It's inside of him now." said Biff his voice sounding a little too glad for Jenny's taste.

"No, that's not what happened." said Dee Dee. Jenny's hearts gave a leap of joy. "You see it too don't you." she said quickly hoping Dee Dee was clever enough to see past the fear.

"I think…" started Dee Dee but was cut off by Val. "But look at her." she said pointing to Sky, who was beginning to move her fingers and head, movement returning to her whole body.

"Look at me. I can move. I can feel again. I'm coming back to life, I can move and look at him, he can't move." she said, The Doctor repeating the strain getting clear in his voice. Also the time between Sky and The Doctor's repeating was getting farther apart. Sky finished a whole sentence and a half before The Doctor. Jenny had a horrid thought pop into her head that thing in Sky was taking her dad's energy to 'come back'. "Help me Professor." said Sky turning pleading eyes to Hobbes. "Get me away from him. Please." Hobbes moved forward hesitantly, being careful not to touch The Doctor.

"Don't touch her!" yelled Jenny.

"What is the matter with you." accused Val. "Mrs. Silvestry is now free from that horrible evil and you don't want to help her. What kind of life has your father been teaching you." Val spat out the word 'father' like it was a bad word.

"Don't you dare say anything against my dad." yelled Jenny anger filling her mind.

"Help her over here." said Val to Hobbes ignoring Jenny completely. Hobbes led Sky to the rest of the group, but as she passed in front of Jenny, Sky gave her a smug smile. "Oh thank you." sighed Sky.

"Oh thank you." said The Doctor. Jenny could see him shaking as he tried to escape the thing's hold over him.

"They've completely separated." said Jethro.

"It's in him. Do you see? I said it was him all the time." said Biff.

"It's not him." said Jenny harshly, but once again everyone ignored her.

"She's free. She's been saved." said Val relief almost turning to tears.

"Oh, it was so cold, I couldn't breathe. I'm sorry. I must have scared you so much." said Sky as Val wrapped her in a big hug.

"No, no, it's alright. I've got you. Ooh, there you are, my love. It's gone. Everything's all right now." cried Val.

"I wouldn't touch her." said Dee Dee.

"Listen to Dee Dee." said Jenny.

"But it's gone, she's clean. It passed into him." said Biff.

"That's not what happened." firmly stated Dee Dee. "I think Jenny has a point…"

"Thank you for your opinion, Dee Dee." said Hobbes cutting off Dee Dee. "But clearly, Mrs. Silvestry has been released."

"Will you stop cutting her off, Mr. Nothing-can-live-on-the-surface-of-Midnight. She's right, but you are all too thick to see it. Sky is still dangerous even more now most likely." said Jenny.

"Just leave her alone both of you." said Val. "S-She's safe, isn't she?"

"No, she's not and now my dad's in danger too." said Jenny.

"Jethro, it's let her go hasn't it." Val asked her son ignoring Jenny.

"I think so, yeah. It looks like it. Professor?" said Jethro, shooting Jenny a sad look, as if apologizing for what happened to The Doctor.

"I'd say, uh, from observation, The Doctor can't move and when she was, uh, possessed she couldn't move, so…" said Hobbes.

"Well, there we are, then." said Biff with finality.

"Will you all stop ignoring me!" yelled Jenny. "I'm trying to tell you people that we have a big problem. Sky is able to possess others now and my dad is under her control. We have to figure out how to save him and rid her of that thing in Sky."

"The only problem we have now is The Doctor." said Biff. The whole power of the vehicle had shifted to Biff and Jenny was terrified of what he would do. Jenny moved in front of her dad's back protectively.

"It's inside his head." said Sky and shivers ran down Jenny's spine as she heard her father's voice strain to repeat. "It killed the driver and the mechanic and now it wants us." Sky continued. "He's waited so long, in the dark and the cold and the diamonds. Until you came, bodies so hot with blood and pain."

"Oh, my god, make him stop. Someone, make him stop." yelled Val her terror returning.

"But she's saying it!" said Dee Dee.

"And you can shut up!" snapped Val.

"How about you shut the hell up Val." yelled Jenny.

"How dare you." huffed Val.

"No how dare you. If you were clever you'd notice that it's not him, it's her. He's just repeating. She has taken over and is using his body, his life, to make herself stronger. And guess what Val, once she's done with my dad she's going to move on to one of you."

"Jenny's right…" said Dee Dee but was once again cut off.

"No, Mrs. Silvestry is free."

"Let her talk." came the calm voice of the hostess, which surprised Jenny since a short while ago she was ready to kill. "What do you know?! Fat lot of good you've been!" Biff yelled accusingly.

"Just let her explain." said the hostess again.

"I-I think, I mean, from what I've seen, it repeats, then it synchronizes, and then it goes on to the next stage and that's exactly what The Doctor said would happen." said Dee Dee all in one breath before anyone could cut her off.

"What, and you're on his side… on her side?" said Biff furiously gesturing to The Doctor and Jenny.

"No!" yelled Dee Dee.

"No, Dee Dee." softly said Jenny worried she had lost her one follower.

"The voice is the thing." said Jethro.

"And she's the voice. She stole it!" said Dee Dee. "Look at her. It's not possessing him… it's draining him!"

"She's got his voice." softly said the hostess not really believing what Dee Dee was saying.

"But that's not true, it's can't be because I saw it pass into him. I saw it with my own eyes!" said Val.

"So did I." said Biff.

"It went from her to him. You saw it, didn't you?" Val said to Jethro.

"I don't know." softly said Jethro now unsure of what happened.

"Oh, don't be stupid, Jethro. Of course you did!" yelled Val

"You saw only what she wanted you to see and would you leave Jethro alone. He has a mind of his own which I might add is smarter than yours." said Jenny.

"You shut up!" screamed Val.

"Everyone saw it… everyone!" yelled Biff. Jenny was about to yell something rude back when she caught sight of Sky. She wasn't saying or doing anything; she just stood there with her arms crossed smirking. Like she was happy this was happening. It reminded Jenny of the Greek god of chaos, Eris, who would mess things up just so she could have a laugh.

"You're just making it up. I know what I saw and I saw her stealing his voice." yelled Dee Dee causing Jenny to snap out of her musing. "At last someone's clever." said Jenny with relief, but that comment caused many glares to be sent her way.

"She's as bad as they are." spat Val jerking her head to indicate Jenny and The Doctor. "Someone shut her up." Dee Dee tried to speak again but was cut off by Hobbes. "I think you should be quiet, Dee Dee." he said.

"Well, I'm only saying…" Dee Dee tried again.

"And that's an order!" yelled Hobbes. "You're making a fool of yourself. Pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulics, when I can tell you are nothing more than average at best. Now, shut up!"

"Don't you belittle her!" yelled Jenny. "She's the smartest person her after The Doctor (and herself, but she kept that part quiet). You should be her assistant Hobbes. Running around getting her coffee, showing projection slides, and being told to shut the hell up!"

"That's how he does it. He makes you fight, creeps into your head and whispers." said Sky. While Jenny listen to her dad repeat she realized that this was what the thing wanted, for them to turn on each other. She took a deep breath and thought to herself what would The Doctor do. She knew right away; he would be the one trying to return sanity to the situation. Jenny opened her mouth to speak, her tension and anger tucked away, but before she could Sky continued. "Listen, just listen. That's him inside your head."

"Throw him out!" screamed Biff.

"Get him out of my head!" screamed Val. Jenny knew the situation was now beyond her control. She mentally kicked herself for not catching onto 'Sky's' plan sooner. All she could really do now was protect her dad as best she could. "We should throw him out!" yelled Biff in a frenzy.

"Don't just talk about it just do it! Do something!" yelled Val.

"I will! You watch me. I'm gonna throw him out." said Biff with resolve.

"Yes. Throw him out. Get rid of him. Now!" said Sky with triumph with The Doctor repeating in a strained voice. Jenny's eyes grew wide as Biff turned toward her. "Don't you dare lay one finger on him." she said as calmly as she could but her voice was cracking out of fear. Sure she was a good fighter, but with Biff hopped up on fear she figured he'd be a fierce competitor.

"Move out of my way girl." he snarled.

"No! He's innocent. Sky trapped him. He needs our help." she pleaded.

"I said move!" he gave Jenny a strong shove, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor next to The Doctor. Jenny looked up and all calm left her as she watched Biff begin to drag her father away. "No! I said don't touch him! Let him go!" she yelled jumping up and throwing herself onto Biff. He momentarily let go of The Doctor trying to dislodge her, but she clung on hitting whatever she could reach. The compartment began to fill with voices of "Don't do it" or "You'll be next" or "Why is this happening".

"Professor, help me." grunted Biff as Jenny caught him right in the stomach. "Get the girl!" Hobbes hesitated for a few seconds, but after some vicious words from Biff and Val he began to pull Jenny off of Biff, which wasn't an easy task. Jenny had her legs locked around Biff's waist, a wad of shirt and hair clamped in one fist, and the other was flailing around hitting Biff and anything near him. Hobbes grabbed hold of Jenny's waist and pulled while trying to loosen her iron grip on Biff's shirt. "I can't, she's holding on too tight." grunted Hobbes.

"What do you expect, she's trying to save _her father_." yelled Dee Dee.

"Be quiet!" roared Hobbes.

"Jethro, help me." demanded Biff, but Jethro did not move. He put his hands to his head and looked about to cry.

"Jethro, help your father." demanded Val. "Oh never mind, I'll do it." she finished before Jethro could speak. She reached over and began to pry open Jenny's hand. "Let go of my husband!" she screamed and with one last tug she wrenched Jenny's hand free. She then gave Jenny's legs a good kick causing them to loosen slightly so Biff could break free. Jenny thrashed in Hobbes' arms as she watched Biff continued to drag her dad. If she had been thinking clearly she could have escaped from Hobbes quicker than you can say 'idiot', but she wasn't thinking clearly. Her mind had lost all hope of calm; all that was there was panic and fear. More fear than she had ever felt, even in The Library. "Professor, help me!" called Biff again. Jenny cast a glance at Biff and saw that The Doctor's foot caught on the edge of a seat. He was trying to fight. "Dad! You can do it dad! Fight!" Jenny encouraged then went back to screaming, "Let him go! He's innocent! You're going to kill an innocent man!" Hobbes glanced at Jethro and began to pass Jenny to him, but he just back away his face contorting with unshed tears of fear. "Give her to me!" screamed Val. Hobbes passed her over and Val latched her arms around Jenny in a vise grip. Jenny flailed every which way and tried to brake free from Val, but she couldn't think straight. All she could do was scream; scream in fear of this trip, the monster, and for her father. The way things were going he would soon be tossed out the door and be killed. She'd be all alone; apart from Donna, but she'd be the last of her kind. The last Time Lady and that thought frightened her; she didn't know how her father had lived with that thought all these years. Hobbes unhooked The Doctor's foot from the seat and together he and Biff dragged The Doctor closer to the back door. It was slow going as The Doctor was just dead weight; his body flopped completely to one side at the slightest push. Finally, Jethro was forced into helping only due to Val and Biff's nagging, although everyone could see he wanted to be doing anything but this. Then it happened. The hostess snapped her head over to Sky as she heard her say, "Molto bene! Allons-y!", above the shouts to throw the defenseless Doctor out.

"That's his voice!" shouted the hostess as The Doctor repeated Sky. "It's taken his voice!" she yelled again. This time Dee Dee and Jenny heard her. Dee Dee just stared at The Doctor in horror as he was dragged past her knowing she couldn't do anything to help him. Jenny started screaming, "She's right! Sky took his voice! Let him go! It's Sky! Dad!", but no one listened. The Doctor continued to be pulled toward the door. Everything happened fast after that. The hostess ran over to Sky and pushed her toward the cockpit door. The hostess slammed her hand on the emergency over ride button and the door slid open casting the x-tonic light through the compartment. Everyone let go of The Doctor as they tried to hide from the light. Jenny finally was able to wrench free from Val. She just stood and watched the hostess hold Sky in place for the desired 6 seconds and then they were both sucked outside. The door slide silently shut and The Doctor let out a gasp of air. "It's gone. It's gone." he repeated over and over again as he fully collapsed onto his stomach.

"Dad." said Jenny immediately kneeling by his side. She helped him roll over onto his back as the others slumped into various chairs. "Dad, are you alright?" she continued, her voice hoarse from screaming and emotion. The Doctor gave her the smallest of nods and she collapsed onto his chest, letting a few tears soak his suit. The Doctor lifted a tired arm around his daughter for her comfort and his; still repeating his mantra of 'it's gone'. For the first time in 30 minutes the vehicle was completely still; no one said a word or made a sounds save for The Doctor. It was a couple of minutes before The Doctor was able to catch his breath. He slid his arm from Jenny and began to work his way into a sitting position. Jenny silently helped him get situated before sitting next to him and putting her head on his shoulder. "I said it was her." came a soft voice from in front of them. Jenny looked up and straight into the eyes of Val. Suddenly, all Jenny saw was red. She leapt up and slapped Val across the cheek. "Don't you dare talk to him!" she said her face inches from Val's. "You were the one screaming to throw him out. You were the one screaming for his death. I swear Val if you open up that hole you call a mouth one more time I won't hesitate to knock your teeth out." Val sunk back into her seat holding her stinging cheek as Jenny turned to look at the others. "That goes for the rest of you. I don't care who you are," here she glared at Biff who was slumped against the other doorframe. "I will make you sorry you ever lived through this."

"Jenny, that's enough." said The Doctor softly. He reached up for Jenny's hand and pulled her back down next to him. No one spoke until a voice came over the intercom system 20 minutes later saying that the rescue transport had arrived. "The hostess." said The Doctor with sadness. "What was her name?" But no answer came, for no one knew. The 3 hour ride back to the palace was silent as well, the only voice were of the rescue team trying to figure out what had happened. In the end they gave up, either from frustration or the look of left over terror in their eyes. They finally pulled up to the palace and silently shuffled out. Jethro turned to look at Jenny, his mouth open as if he were going to say something. His mouth quickly snapped shut, however, when he saw the look of cold steel Jenny sent his way. The Doctor and Jenny made their way into the sunbathing unit. Donna leapt up to meet them (she had heard from an employee about their vehicle breaking down) but slowed her pace at the blank expressions they wore. "What happened?" she asked when they reached her. Jenny didn't say anything, all she did was throw her arms around Donna. Donna returned to hug with her usually gentleness while she stared into The Doctor's face. She opened up her other arm and pulled The Doctor in as well. They stayed like that until Donna mentioned they get a snack. They sat down in some absent chairs and slowly ate the crackers and cheese the attendants brought. Slowly the story came out; Jenny and The Doctor switching back and forth. All was quiet when the story came to an end. "What do you think it was?" said Donna.

"No idea." said The Doctor.

"Do you think it's still out there?" said Donna in concern.

"I hope not." said Jenny her eyes staring into the distance remembering the event. Donna and The Doctor both placed comforting hands on Jenny's shoulders. Jenny gave them a small smile of thanks, which they gratefully returned.

"Well, you'd better tell them, this lot." said Donna using her head to gesture to the resort in general.

"Yeah." said The Doctor, his hand leaving Jenny's shoulder. "They can build a Leisure Palace somewhere else. Let this planet keep on turning round an x-tonic star, in silence."

"Can't imagine you without a voice." said Donna.

"It was different alright." said Jenny with a genuine smile, trying to lighten the mood. The Doctor and Donna gave smiles as he said, "Molto bene."

"Molto bene." said Donna. The joking atmosphere quickly disappeared as Jenny gave a shudder and clenched her fists trying to get rid of the memories.

"No. Don't do that. Don't." immediately said The Doctor with a no nonsense look. Donna looked into his eyes had saw a small flash of fear pass through them as The Doctor repeated, "Don't."

* * *

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